


More Than His Heart Can Take

by Karmi



Series: Welcome Back [6]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23979784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karmi/pseuds/Karmi
Summary: Cloud reflects on all of the things he loves about Tifa during their week-long trip to Costa del Sol.[A collection of drabbles in celebration of Tifa Week 2020.]
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Welcome Back [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1525418
Comments: 70
Kudos: 156





	1. Happy Birthday Tifa

**Author's Note:**

> Happy #TifaWeek! And Happy Birthday Tifa!

He loves her.

He loves the way she hums in contentment as he folds her in his embrace and plants sweet kisses down the back of her neck. He rests his chin on her shoulder and says, “Are you enjoying the trip so far?”

He loves the way she stares out at the moon, how it reflects in her ruby irises and makes them sparkle, how she watches the stars with all of the happiness in the world and replies, “It’s wonderful Cloud.” She glances back at him, and the serene curve of her lips grows wider. “Thank you so much.”

They’re standing on the balcony of their villa in Costa del Sol. The waves crash gently against the shore, filling the otherwise quiet evening with a soft melody. The weather is cool, a little chillier than they were expecting now that the sun has gone down. In the soft lights of the balcony, Cloud can make out the tan lines on her shoulder from her bikini. They’d spent hours in the water - Tifa loves the beach so much, there are moments where he wonders if she will leave if she doesn’t have to.

“What are you thinking about?”

Her voice is light, playful, soothing as she pulls him out of his thoughts. Cloud lays a trail of kisses from her shoulder to her ear and she hunches her shoulders, giggling.

“You.”

Tifa sighs, leaning back into his hug even more, and he crosses his arms over her stomach tightly, comfortingly. His t-shirt bunches in his hands as he flexes agile fingers across her torso, earning him a symphony of girlish, jubilant laughter. She shakes her head as his fingers curl more, opening her mouth wider, laughing louder, until he turns her around in his arms and lays his lips against hers. Tifa continues to giggle into his kiss, her smile making his own mouth curve, her hands snaking around his neck as she settles down and embraces him fully, deeply, passionately. When he pulls away, he can see the heat rising in her face. She titters again and he speaks.

“I have something else for you.”

She tilts her head in a way he’s always found cute, her eyes widening in silent question. Cloud takes her hand and leads her back inside of their room. Tifa gasps, clapping her hands together in delight once she spots the mini-cake sitting on the small round table just beyond the balcony. It’s red velvet with cream cheese frosting - her favorite - and spelled out in tiny, delicate red lettering is **Happy Birthday Tifa.** A candle dots the “I” in her name.

Tifa kisses him again. “Cloud, this is perfect!”

He loves the joy in her eyes as he lights the candle and tells her to make a wish. He loves how peaceful she looks when she closes her eyes, and he wonders what exactly she’s asking for. He loves the pleased noise she makes as she digs into her cake, and loves it even more when she feeds him.

He loves the way she sighs his name as they have dessert in bed, together, for the rest of the night. He loves the way he feels complete and whole and loved whenever he’s with her. He loves that she can make anyone feel that way, but she’s decided to share it most intimately with him.

He loves when she whispers her wish in his ear, and says it’s come true.

He loves that he can fulfill her hopes and desires, that he can be part of her dreams.

He loves her more than his heart can take, more than he’s ever known he could love anything.

And he knows he’ll never stop.


	2. The Stars Have to be Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud remembers some of Tifa's most powerful words.

Cloud watches her dance, splashing around like a jubilant child. She’s so comfortable in the water, and he finds it no wonder dolphins are her favorite animal. Her giggles drift on the air, surrounding him in a warm embrace despite the chill in the air. Tifa had wanted to come out to their private beach at night. This morning over breakfast she had said,

_“The stars glitter so beautifully on the water.”_

He looks out at her, those tiny lights shimmering around her both above and below. Tifa isn’t splashing and laughing so much now. Instead, she’s staring at him with a tranquil smile, holding herself around her middle. Cloud’s mouth curves up and he wades toward her slowly as something she’d said a long time ago echoes in his mind.

_“Do you think the stars can hear us?”_

Cloud believes, as he skims his hand up her arm and kisses her forehead, that the stars have to be alive. And if they’re alive, they have to be able to hear them. They twinkle and prance in the sky as if they are putting on a show for the whole world. They come back every night to give a new performance because they hear the people cheering, and the show is free for just about anyone. He recalls the time he spent under the plate, unable to see the sky. As he holds her under its vastness, that time feels so far away.

_“Do you think they can see how hard we’re fighting for them?”_

That night, they had both been so afraid - nearly everything they had loved had been taken from them and death was around the corner. They had been dancing around one another, always on the edge of saying or doing something that would tilt the balance in their relationship, that would change it forever. But always too afraid. For him, he knew he was terrified of losing her too - after everything that had happened and was about to happen, he couldn’t stand the thought of opening his heart up like that. It hurt him enough when his friends died. But Tifa… she meant so much to him, she was his world, that if he had taken that step and then lost her forever… Cloud was sure he would absolutely break with no hope for recovery.

But, he realized that night (maybe he had always known, but that night he _understood_ ) just how scared she was as well. He realized how badly she wanted to fight, how much she _needed_ to fight in order to move forward, and that night… that night, she needed to open up to him too. It was like a hurdle they both had to get over before they could fully commit themselves to that final battle. It was the last hang up they had. He had been almost as afraid of her words as he was of Sephiroth - but when she told him there were other ways to express himself to her, to let her know how he was feeling, to _confess_ , he made sure she knew everything he had been keeping inside. Of course, she already knew, on some level, the way he felt about her. How he thought about her - their time together in the Lifestream showed her that. And her heart had called out to him as well… but to feel it with one another so intimately, so physically, so wholly… that’s what they needed in order to truly go on.

His lips lay claim to every inch of her face and she hums gleefully at his affection. Cloud holds her close; he can feel her heart thumping through her back against his palm. As he finds her mouth, as her arms wrap around his neck, as he pulls her so close she molds into his every curve, he thinks that he would gladly do it all over. He would fight and fight and fight - he’d fight for the stars and even fight _them_ \- if it meant he could experience these moments with her again and again and again.


	3. Happy to Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud admires Tifa's kindness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii. This is late. Sorry Dx
> 
> May 6 Prompt was "Favorite Trait."

Tifa had decided that morning that they should take a walk on the trails outside of Costa. She wants to be surrounded by the tropical plants and trees that line the border of the small town, flora they’re not used to seeing back in Edge. She wraps her arms around his and leans into him as they walk together, pointing out all kinds of flowers and little animals they pass by. There isn’t nearly this much life back home, and the jubilance in her eyes at exploring it with him makes his heart swell more than he thought it could. And perhaps he could find a secluded spot for them to nestle in and try something new…

But about an hour into their hike, Cloud hears something shifting near them. He tenses, his hackles rising, his grip on her hand tightening as he turns to find the source. Tifa stops mid-sentence; she hears it too.

“Is someone there?”

His ears perk up as whatever it is makes a frightened noise at being discovered. It only takes him a few more seconds to discern it.

“Someone’s crying,” he says quietly to Tifa.

Her eyes shine with concern. She steps lightly toward the bushes and peeks inside.

“It’s alright,” he hears her say, extending her hand. “You can come out.”

After a bit more coaxing, a girl no more than five or six emerges, clinging to Tifa’s arm. She sniffles, tears streaming down her cheeks, blubbering words that Cloud can’t understand. Tifa pulls the colorful sarong from around her hips and begins to dab the child’s face.

“Here. Are you hurt?”

The girl grips the cloth, holding it to her nose. A few seconds pass by, and then she squeaks in harsh breaths, “I-it’s my mommy. I can’t find her.”

Tifa looks back at Cloud while the girl blows into her wrap. He knows that look in her eye - that compassionate, kind look that says, _We have to help_. He nods to her.

“What’s your name sweetie?” Tifa coos, patting her on the head.

“M-meryl.”

“Okay Meryl. My name is Tifa. This is Cloud.” She sweeps her hand back to him. Cloud gives the girl a small smile in reassurance, and she sniffs, nodding. “We’re going to help you find your mommy. Can you tell us what she looks like?”

Meryl’s eyes widen in acceptance and joy. “Y-yes! She… she has orange hair. And her eyes look like mine. And she has freckles.”

Cloud makes a mental note of everything Meryl says. Tifa asks, “What was she wearing?”

“A… a yellow dress. It has daisies on it. Th-they’re my favorite.”

“Okay. Why don’t you and I stay right here, and Cloud will go look for your mommy.”

Tifa sits with her, holding her hand and smoothing her hair. Meryl clings to the wrap, but looks at Cloud and asks, “Will you find her?”

His smile widens just a little. “I’m pretty good at finding things.”

“He’s the best,” Tifa adds with a wink. “It’ll be okay.”

It doesn’t take him long to spot the woman down one of the trails. She’s shouting Meryl’s name, and he can tell she’s getting more frantic by the minute.

“Excuse me.”

She spins to face him, her yellow sundress twirling. Her chin-length red hair sticks to her face, and there’s panic in her eyes that look just like Meryl’s.

“Yes?”

“My name is Cloud. My girlfriend and I found Meryl. She described you to us.”

Her relief radiates off of her as her eyes well up. “Oh thank you! Please take me to her! She wandered off, chasing a butterfly or something, and I was so afraid.”

Meryl recognizes her mother immediately, letting go of Tifa and running into her arms.

“Mommy!”

Her mother scoops her up and holds her tight, kissing her tear-stricken face. Tifa gets up and Cloud comes to her side.

“Oh thank you so much. I’m so glad such good people found her.”

“We’re happy to help,” Tifa says with her glowing smile.

Meryl’s mother begins to turn away when the girl shouts, “Oh! This is yours!” She reaches out with Tifa’s sarong. “Thank you very much for helping me find my mommy.”

“Of course sweetie.”

“Thank you again.” Her mother smiles and bows her head, and they depart.

“What’s that look?” Tifa asks him once they’re alone.

Cloud didn’t realize how large his grin had gotten until she pointed it out. He pulls her into his arms and kisses her forehead.

“I’ve always admired that kindness of yours. Always been a little envious of it too.”

“Envious?”

“You give it so easily.”

She wraps him in a hug, staring up at him with a smirk. “Well, I’ve got plenty more where that came from.”

They find that secluded spot after all.


	4. Chin On The Floor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud admires Tifa in her best dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May 7 Prompt was "Favorite Outfit."
> 
> It's been a weird couple days, sorry these are so late.

When she steps onto the patio in her black kimono, Cloud’s mouth dries up. He didn’t know she still had it, let alone had packed it for their trip. The black stockings rise up her long, toned legs, and he yearns to feel that fabric on his fingers. Her boots bring her to about his height, and she uses that advantage to plant a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Your chin is on the floor sweetheart.” She grins at him in that teasing way that makes his heart thump.

Cloud clears his throat and chuckles. The pink flower headband and makeup bring out her eyes in a dazzling way. He realizes he’d never gotten to compliment them before.

“You look incredible in this.”

Her cheeks grow almost as pink as her headband, her confidence receding just a bit in place of her bashfulness.

“And it’s cute when you do that.”

Her lips are painted a delicate magenta, which matches her sash. She gnaws lightly on the bottom, and her blush gets harsher.

Cloud remembers the first time he saw her in this outfit - on the back of a wagon being whisked away to that street thug’s house. He’d been so worried about her that he didn’t have enough time to truly appreciate the way she looked in this dress until she had disappeared from sight. Even as Aerith insisted on helping her out, Cloud’s mind kept wandering to a dangerous, jealous place -

How dare anyone else look at her?

What would that night have been like if they’d gotten their date…?

Cloud knew it was silly to be thinking those things at the time, but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t even so angry that other men were looking at her, but that she wasn’t on his arm and they never got to have their night on the town. And she was putting herself at such a risk _for the cause_ , for the cause that left her feeling so twisted and trapped inside.

_“You’ve seen how much ass I can kick.”_

He knew she would be okay, in the back of his mind he always knew, but that wasn’t the point. He’d promised.

Cloud strokes her cheek with the back of his fingers. Her eyes shine as she stares into his own.

“Guess we finally get to have our date.”

Tifa kisses him again, and he growls into her mouth while they stumble back inside.

They never make it to the restaurant.


	5. This Woman's Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud reflects on those who receive Tifa's love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May 8 Prompt was "Favorite Relationships."

Cloud flips a pancake and hears Tifa laugh behind him.

“Did you really? How was it?”

He can hear Barret’s excited shouting from here - Tifa is checking in with him and the kids. They’re staying with him in Corel and are currently on a trip to the Gold Saucer.

Cloud and Barret didn’t always get along. For a long time, Cloud wasn’t sure if they’d ever understand each other. But he’s always appreciated what Barret did for Tifa - taking her in, watching out for her, never abandoning her. Sometimes Cloud regrets that someone else had to take care of her when he couldn’t, even though he knows it’s not his fault, but at least it was someone with a good heart. Barret became like a new father for Tifa - she looks up to him in many ways, even when they disagree. She can be honest with him while also seeing his perspective. And after traveling through Corel a couple of years ago, Cloud can say that he and Tifa finally had a much deeper understanding of this man who claimed he only wanted to save the planet.

Barret had his demons, and he almost let them catch up to him. But he had Tifa, and Cloud, and lead him out of his own darkness.

Tifa always maintains that she owes him her life. She was struggling to find any real direction in Midgar, beginning to feel lost in the sea of people that inhabit the slums. Afraid of becoming another cog in the wheel and that her hatred would consume her. But Barret gave her a purpose. Even though she always had issues with their methods, Tifa loved Avalanche with all her heart because they became her family - Barret, their father and leader, holding everyone together with his strength and will. Barret showed her that she could strike back against Shinra - even though he never knew what her exact motivations were until their journey, he knew she needed to do _more_. He understood her feelings of helplessness, understood her drive and determination - Barret saw a lot of himself in Tifa. He wanted to help her, so he invited her into the fold.

“Marlene rode that rollercoaster by herself?!”

Cloud chuckles as he adds a pancake to the stack and starts another. Marlene helps keep them all grounded, as precocious and observant as she is. Sometimes when the adults were too busy being stubborn, she would be the one to say what needed to be said. Cloud is grateful that Tifa had Marlene to lean on during their rough period, though Tifa hates to admit how much she depended on the child. But Marlene has depended on Tifa since she was a baby, and Tifa has beautifully filled the motherly role for her. Tifa has done as much for her as she could, raising her like she were her own, and Cloud marvels at the amount of love that radiates from that woman’s heart. He remembered speaking to Marlene about Tifa once he returned home, and she’d told him that she didn’t mind if Tifa depended on her - Tifa had done and sacrificed so much for her that she would do anything to help. And even though Cloud knows that’s no position for a child to be in, he knows it comes from the love that Tifa has put into her.

“You can tell Denzel that I didn’t like that hotel much either… some of the effects are so corny but some are a little too realistic.”

Cloud presents her with a hearty stack of pancakes and a cup of orange juice. Her eyes light up in that brilliant way he’s always loved, and he leans across the counter to kiss her forehead before getting back to work. Her love for the young boy started out of some mixture of guilt and pity - it did for them both. He was a victim of the sector seven plate collapse and Geostigma was killing him. They related all too much to him. But, their love - and Tifa’s especially - blossomed into something neither one of them could have predicted, and Denzel’s adoration for them grew as well. He was like the final piece to their little family, and just when they thought they couldn’t love anymore, they found out they could.

He joins Tifa at the counter as she’s wrapping up her call.

“I love you too! We’ll see you soon. And Cloud sends his love as well.”

He only smiles as he begins to eat.


	6. Love Through Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just being held by her and feeling her love through her touch is all he needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May 9 was Free Day! 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me through these Tifa Week drabbles! Sorry some of them were late, it's been a weird week for me. But I'm glad I finished them!

If Cloud had to name his favorite moment with Tifa, the best time he’s spent with her, he isn’t sure he would be able to. There are just too many - she brings him so much love and life and joy that it’s impossible to narrow down when the _best_ moment is. But if he had to name the best _kinds_ of moments with her, it would be the ones like this.

They’re in bed well past noon, the sun spilling onto the mattress and warming their bodies. She’s in his t-shirt, snuggled tightly against him with her back against his chest, curving into every mold of his body like she was made to be there. Like he was made to hold her. His arm is wrapped securely around her waist, the fabric of his shirt bunching in his hands as he rubs her stomach. Their limbs are otherwise intertwined; he’s not sure where her legs start and his end. One arm curls back and into his hair, massaging his scalp in lazy, rhythmic motions. He kisses her shoulder, nuzzling his face into her neck as she softly giggles from the embrace.

They fall asleep like this eventually, the warmth of the room lulling them into yet another nap. When Cloud stirs, Tifa does as well, shifting even deeper into his hold. He sweeps her hair away and plants kisses on every inch of skin he can reach until she wakes up and turns over to cuddle into his chest, pressing her lips onto his chin as she wraps her arm around him and begins to play in his hair again. It’s something that has always soothed him, always made him feel calm and safe. He lays another kiss against her forehead as he feels himself drifting, and her breathing evens out as well.

They spend the better part of the day like this, in and out of sleep, holding one another and laying kisses everywhere they can. It’s these moments that Cloud craves the most when he’s away from her - just being held by her and feeling her love through her touch is all he needs.


End file.
